Monthly Archives: January 2012

Camp Rules

Going to an overnight camp is an important step in formation of your child’s independence skills. Following these reasonable and simple rules will help you and your child to have a safe and enjoyable summer time.

Instructors at our camp will discuss all the points mentioned below with campers, but your cooperation is highly appreciated and it’s vitally important that you discuss each point with your child before camp starts.

1. Hygiene. Ask your child to follow the same hygienic routine that he/she has at home: brushing teeth, shower, etc.

2. Discipline. Discipline is a matter of your child safety. Please discuss every point of the Camp policy related to safety with your child to make sure he/she fully understands it:

For the safety and enjoyment of all participants during the session, any camper who violates this policy, as listed below, or violates any other serious rule or policy, or any camper who jeopardizes the safety or contentment of others or themselves can be dismissed from camp and parents will have to pick up the camper. Please note that such dismissal is in the sole discretion of the Camp Director and such camper will not be entitled to a refund. The following are examples of inappropriate behavior:

Verbal or physical abuse of other participants or instructors;

Systematic disruptive behavior;

Systematic disregard of the instructor’s directions;

Use of alcohol or drugs, smoking;

Theft or conversion of the camp’s or other person’s property to their own use;

Any damage of camp’s or other person’s property or facilities;

Sneaking out of the tents at night time.

3. Night time (from 10.30 PM to 8.00 AM) is for rest and recovering. Any disturbing noise at this period will be dealt with according to Camp policy.

4. Phone communication and Visitors. Remember that a little homesickness is normal and even healthy. It is a common occurrence for many youths and our staff is trained to deal with this issue. For the overall enjoyment and pleasure of both your child and other camp participants, like almost all Canadian overnight camps, we do not encourage parental visits. Exceptions: campers pick up/delivery and registration for more than 2 weeks. For the same reason, we don’t have direct communication between campers and parents. Exception is birthdays. Parents are allowed to call the camp every day at due time and speak to camp staff. Your call might be answered at another time during the day, as all camp staff is engaged with camp activities constantly. Please respect and make sure that your child also understands this policy.

Preparation for overnight camp: advice for parents

Involve you child every step of the way so there are no surprises. Begin packing several weeks in advance to avoid last minute shopping trips or scrambles to find that ‘must-have’ favorite shirt.

Don’t buy a brand-new clothes. While one or two new items are fine, camp life can be a bit rough on clothing.

Please make sure your child brings waterproof shoes/running shoes, a sleeping bag, raincoat and water bottle. For the full list of things to bring and packing tips, please check what to pack info. A small backpack is good for caring around a water bottle and swimming stuff. It’s important to wear a sun hat and to use sunscreen while being on the beach.

Transportation. Please make sure your child has had lunch before boarding the bus because the bus will do only one stop for snack in order to keep the trip to camp short. Snacks and water will be provided during the trip, but you might want to pack a water bottle and your child’s favourite snack in a small backpack that will go on the bus with him/her.

So good-bye lazy days of internet suffering, at least for the summer!

Hello rock climbing, kayaking, swimming, basketball, soccer, archery, disco, starry nights, and more activities in the big real world close to nature.

When you are making an overnight (sleepover) camps decision, the most important questions are: “is my child ready for the overnight summer camp?” “is it in his/her best interest?”

By answering the following questions you might get better arguments for your decision:

-Do you think that the overnight summer camp that you choose is a good opportunity for your child:

to develop and improve his/her social and communication skills?

to gain a unique life experience? to learn new valuable skills?

to enjoy favorite programs or activities? to try new activities that he/she dreamed of?

Is it a best way to solve a child care question?

Will the kid receive at least 60 minutes of structured physical activity most days of the camp session?

Does you child like overnight experiences with friends or family members?

Does you child like adventure?

Does you child usually enjoy new experience?

If you answered “yes” to more that half of the questions, it looks like your child is ready for a successful camp experience.

It’s really helpful if you got such a great experience during your childhood and can share the best memories with your kid.

If your child is not certain to commit to a camp (which is common, if he or she come alone without sibling or friend), gentle encouragement is usually the key. Show the camp website, brochures, pictures and discuss the list of activities. Sometimes the child is ready and willing to go to a camp, but you have some concerns. Again, if you are first time camp parent, or are sending your child to this particular camp for the first time, it’s natural to worry. Remember that it’s always better to talk to the camp’s staff than to share your concerns with the child.

Summer is the best time to engage your child with the natural world. If you’d like to help your kids learn the importance of caring about the planet, here are some activities you might want to try based on their age and personality:

1. Choosing a summer camp with adventure outdoor program

Search for a summer camp with lots of outdoors activities. Choose a combination of outdoor trips and sports with water activities (swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fishing). Many of the overnight (sleep away) summer camp are located close to natural lakes and rivers and can be really healthy options for a green summer. Just forget about city routine and chlorine water pool. Consider the camps located at farms as well. Why are overnight camp experiences considered as an essential aspect in green education of young people? It is a place where kids live without parental supervision and the things they’re dealing with are rated higher in their life value scale, as it is their own choice. That’s why nothing can be better that a couple of weeks of such eco adventure during summer for you kids to build connections with the nature.

2. Enrolling to environment educational summer program

Search a local community green activities, e.g. planting trees program, environment learning classes in libraries, etc. It’s important to remember that the best way to learn for kids, especially in the summer time, that they considered as efforts-free time, is through fun. So choose the educational activities that are presented and organized in a way your kid enjoys it. Never force the child in this direction to avoid the opposite effect.

3. Making outdoor activities a constant part of family plans

Take your kids for a hike or a weekend camping trip regularly. During camping trips please leave computers, TVs, and electronic games at home. Explore water trips as well. Don’t forget about a bike ride out in the woods! Talk with your children about the plants and animals you saw while you travel, encourage them to explore more and writing it down is even more fun. It’s even a better idea to keep a journal in which you can encourage your kid to write down everything you did everyday.

4. Involving the child in your own green lifestyle.

Summer is a great time to take your kids to:

a community garden or a farm where they can learn how others grow fruits and vegetables and why they taste better when they are locally grown. Apart from learning, pick-your-own activities are fun for the whole family, as well as fruit pizza and salad cooking from farm fresh berries and apples.

a local park to pick up litter. Don’t forget hand sanitizer, rubber gloves and garbage bags. You can discuss reasons why it’s not a good idea to litter.

a recycling center to see the new things made from the old items. Getting children excited about composting or recycling starts right at home.

your backyard to build a birdhouse, plant seeds, care for them and watch them grow. your backyard or a park to find and observe different animals. Even if you live in urban area, there are a lot of creatures living right under your nose and children can have fun spotting them.

During the summer time, kids are happy, hyper, and very energetic; therefore it’s wise to offer them to try some green creative projects and ways to give old things a new life.

Overall, the best we can do for kids to help them understand the importance of green living habits is to constantly demonstrate it with our own examples in everyday life.

It might take a bit of your effort to help your child to become a ‘green person’, but the deep respect to the environment formed in childhood will be a valuable contribute to the healthy future of our planet.